India does a NAMO NAMAH!!

So we have come to the end of the largest democratic exercise in the history of humanity. With over 800 Mn people exercising their right to vote, these elections have been unmatched in terms of there sheer size and length. Election Commission deserves a standing ovation for conducting these elections smoothly, even though there is huge scope for improvement.

Narendra Modi has emerged victorious from these elections. If we look at the elections in its entirety,many things will emerge. This victory of BJP has been historic for India in many ways.
1. This is the first time ever that a non-Congress party has got a simple majority on its own.
2. The victory has brought back BJP from oblivion. After Vajpayee lost his re-election bid in 2004, BJP was on a downward slope. Modi has re-energized BJP, so much so that he has helped the party get an additional 100 seats over its previous best of 182 seats.  One wonders how much would the party have got, had Advani been the PM candidate.
3. These elections also mark the decimation of the congress party. This is the first time that the party has been restricted to double digit seats in Lok Sabha. The ability of the Gandhi family to garner votes is certainly under question.

While there is constant criticism that the BJP had huge funds to market itself, one should not forget the fact that promotion is secondary to product. If the product is not good, no amount of promotion can salvage it. It is foolish even to compare the two principal products: Modi and Rahul. Modi is a suave politician with tonnes of administrative experience. He has effectively run a successful state government for close to 15 years. On the other hand, Rahul has nothing to show on his CV w.r.t running an administration. He has no experience of running a state government. Nor has he run any ministry at the centre, even though he had ample opportunity to do so in the last 10 years. He appears a reluctant politician on whom the top job is being thrust.

Modi's win needs to be analysed in greater detail. Winning 73 out of 80 seats in UP's fragmented and highly identity based politics is no mean task. This at at time when the BJP organization was in doldrums in the state. Alongwith Amit Shah, he has done the unthinkable. Mayawati winning 0 seats in UP is just unthinkable. The remaining 7 seats that have gone SP and congress's way are just those of high profile people. Bihar similarly has drummed up great support for BJP and relegated the JD(U), RJD and Congress to ignominy. The clean sweep in Rajasthan, Gujarat ,Uttarakhand and near clean sweep in MP,Chattisgarh , Maharashtra are indications of a wave at work. Modi has done the trick which even the most optimistic of BJP managers would not have thought of.

While Modi has put in  a lot of hard work, Thank You cards are also due to the following people:
1. Rahul Gandhi : After Modi, the highest contribution in this win has been done by RaGa. His dilly-dallying on issues, superficial knowledge of issues and repeated gaffes have only helped Modi. Never there was such a mismatch among 2 prime ministerial candidates.
2. Mani Shankar Aiyar : His Chaiwalah remark was intended to offend the BJP's PM candidate. But Modi has converted this into an opportunity. The 'Chai Pe Charcha' became a further hit and helped Modi connect with the masses.
3. Imran Masood's  'Chopping Modi' remark did not help the Congress but help counter polarize the hindu vote in favour of Modi.

All along these elections, Modi has been attacked by leaders of all hues and parties. While none was willing to accept the Modi wave which was at work, all knew the impact that he would have on the electorate.

Many stalwarts have fallen in front of the Modi juggernaut. His development plank has cut across religion, caste , gender which have come to dominate Indian elections over the last 3 decades. This is the first time that people have elected a central government on development plank. Indian democracy  is coming of age.

With such a huge mandate, the pressure to perform would be enormous. While the knives are temporarily sheathed, they would be out at even the slightest hint of trouble. Any sign of a riot and there would be people baying for his blood calling him communal. He would always have to be on guard as people are trying to find Fascist tendencies in him.

Like it or not, but he is the leader India has been waiting for since Vajpayee. This is India's 2nd tryst with destiny. We don't want to miss it, do we?

The absurdities of owning a LPG connection in India

Ours is an amazing country. In India, there are rules, then there are more rules and then more absurd rules. This hold true not just in one walk of life. We Indians are so fond of rules that we fail to find wrongs in them even when they border on the absurd.

I shall narrate a personal incident that i have faced. I have a LPG connection with Bharat Gas for almost 1.5 years. Few months back i came to know that my connection was blocked for not ordering a cylinder in 6 months. I had to fill the KYC form again and resubmit other relevant documents. Though i was a little surprised by such a rule, I vowed to make sure that i order a connection at least once in 6 months. The thought still lingered, what about those who have very limited consumption or who are constantly travelling? Would they have to resubmit the documents as there connections would get blocked invariably?

In mid-feb, i converted my connection to a subsidised one. Now recently when i went to the agency, i came to know that the connection has been blocked again. Reason? I had not ordered a subsidised cylinder after conversion.....ugh!!How am i supposed to know that i have to order a cylinder to keep myself from being blocked? If i don't need a cylinder, why should i order one? I am trying to imagine the kind of person who would have thought of making such crappy rules. What benefit do they derive by blocking connections and then asking people to resubmit documents? Isn't it a waste of time and resources with absolutely no upside to anyone. Such a rule in a country like ours will only cause wastage and profligacy.

but my ordeal was not over. I went over to the Bharat Gas office to enquire about things and get them fixed. To my surprise, i was offered another explanation. The last time i had ordered cylinder, it was cancelled. There were 2 orders, both of which were cancelled. As a matter of fact, i did receive a cylinder in one of these orders. But as per there records, there was no cylinder in my name in last 6 months and hence it was blocked.

I think these guys have done a PHD in harassing the public. I have few grouses against the delivery of such pathetic services:

• The rules are so ridiculous that they could be used in Kapil Sharma's comedy nights.
• The rules are so vague that even there own staff and agency people interpret them differently.
• The rules have been made in such a way that it makes you question the intelligence and competence of the person making them.
• The rules are made without keeping the interests of the consumers in mind. At the end of the day, it is the public which is getting harassed.

To add to the misery the agency person says that these rules have been made by this Congress government and would change again once a new government comes to power. O GOD! another set of stupid rules to deal with in the next few months.....

Where has the Halo around Kejriwal gone?

There is a message going across various social media about a dialogue of Sonakshi Sinha which has been contemporised w.r.t Kejriwal.
"Thappad se Darr nahi Lagta Sahab, Pyaar se lagta Hai!" to which Kejriwal says,"Tu Rehne de Behen,Mujhe Padi hai, mujhe pata hai! ". This sums up the events that have happened to Kejriwal over the last few days.

Kejriwal had got all the right credentials that most middle-class educated people would wow about. An IITian, he is also the winner of the prestigious Magsaysay award. He has worked for the IRS. His relentless tirade against corruption as also his association  with Anna Hazare in the Anti-Corruption Movement shot him to national prominence. His decision to form the Aam Aadmi Party was a bold one and won him many admirers particularly among the middle class as he seemed willing to get his hands dirty in the world of politics. The People of Delhi, fed up of Corruption, found a ray of hope in him and propelled his party to 28 seats in the 70 member Delhi assembly, within just a year of it being formed. The media had gone gaga over his success.Kejriwal hogged the limelight for most of 2013 and into 2014.

But through his journey he had also sown the seeds of disenchantment. In the run-up to the Delhi Elections, he had promised many things which he did not fulfil once in power.
He came to be known as Mr U-turn. Following points would buttress this point.

• He sweared on his children not to take support of the Congress or the BJP. In the end he did take support of Congress.
• He paints every other politician as corrupt and black, but when it comes to his own party members the same rules don't apply. A case in point is that of Somnath Bharti.

AAP claimed itself to be a party with a difference. People expected it to usher in new-age politics into the country. But then in their ambition to grow fast , they chose the same trodden path of appeasement politics. They chose to visit certain religious leaders in order to garner support of a particular community.

The Delhi Assembly elections success propelled it to grow faster than ever before with people from all walks of life joining in hordes. There was no filter from keeping away bad influences off the party. Everyone was free to join. So while many Corporate honchos found their calling in his movement, hundreds of others who thought this as a faster mode of rising the political ladders also joined. The result that some of those who joined and are vying for tickets in Lok Sabha elections have criminal records. All talk of cleaning up politics vanished in thin air.

AAP also misconstrued the huge support in Delhi to translate into votes at national level. Kejriwal resigned within 49 days of coming to power. His rule over Delhi was marked with what is called roadside politics. The Chief Minister himself became the Chief agitator. Many asked the question, Can good agitators not become good administrators? The public though understood the reason of his resigning lay in his national ambitions.

The recent portrayal in media of his party has not gone down well with him. He accused the media of being biased and not portraying him in good light. But that is not the job of the media. It is here to present stories and not support someone. What was he trying to do with the Aaj Tak Newscaster? He wishes to bring Kranti in this fashion!!

There are lessons to be learnt from this extraordinary saga. Some of the old adages still hold true:

• Practice before you preach.
• Don't consider the people as foolish. They will see through your nefarious designs.
• The best of supporters can become the worst of enemies if you betray the faith that they have reposed on you.

I must confess that like many others I felt that AAP would bring in a systemic change in our politics.

• The funding of elections would become more transparent. 
• Criminal elements would be pushed out of politics. 
• Development politics would replace identity based politics.

On many of these aspects, i find them to be of the same DNA as other parties.
But for the sake of India, i wish they do some introspection of their actions. Course correction is urgently required before AAP becomes just another political party in a country teeming with political parties. Clearly defining their policies  w.r.t Economy, Foreign Affairs could be the first step.

Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar

It's been a long time since i posted on my blogging site. Over the last few days, i have felt the urge of writing again.
So now i start or rather restart.
Just saw the interview of Narendra Modi by Rajat Sharma on 'Aap ki Adalat'.
Rajat Sharma appeared little generous to Modi in this interrogation, but all credits to Modi for emerging triumphant.
Modi emerging as the front runner for PMship has been due to a variety of reasons. But anyone who has seen this interview or followed him campaigning over the last few days would realise that he is taking the discourse to a different level; he is bringing in development politics when most of India has been accustomed to identity based politics at times of elections for the last many decades. Does it finally mean that India can have a genuine debate on developmental issues rather than divisive politics?
Far from it but the sands beneath are certainly shifting. Young Indians today are more concerned about jobs,roads, well being than merely identifying with people of their own castes or religion. The GDP growth is on a downward path. The present dispensation at Delhi appears incapable of handling the issues plaguing the country. Hope is what Modi is providing to the the people.
Modi has been accused of being a polarising figure. It seems his emergence as the leader has raised many a hackles both within and outside his party. Doomsday predictions are being done for muslims across the country by various political parties. Modi is being compared with Hitler. It make one wonder; are these people really secular as they project themselves to be? Election after election has seen parties trying to court the Muslims. This votebank politics whereby they instil fear among the minorities has what led to the backwardness of the Muslims. But what have the so-called secularists done for the upliftment of the minorities. Have the muslims benefited by voting such people in elections. It is time for Muslims to see through the charade presented by most political parties. Even the so-called new age politicians who claim to be fighting corruption and parading themselves as a party with a difference are following this slippery path? Can Modi with his developmental agenda improve the lot of Indians irrespective of their religion,caste,region,gender etc?
India today stands at a cross-roads today. We need someone who can provide decisive leadership at all levels. The last decade has really become our lost decade. A decade back India was mentioned in the same breath as China, but now it has merely become an after thought. Something terrible must have gone wrong to effect such changes in a small period of time. A similar trend for another few years and the term BRICS would be relegated to history, with the I missing.
The politics of 21st century has to be different from that of the preceding century. These elections are not merely about electing a government. They are about finding whether developmental politics win over identity politics. They are about hope. Can India rise again and take its rightful place in the league of nations?

Only May16th can tell. Till then we can only hope!!

TV Addiction

When J L Baird invented the world's first television he would never have imagined the effects it would have on the lives of people after almost a century... it is commonly accused of making couch potatoes out of normal individuals......the accusation is not entirely untrue though.....but before that i would like to go back to the sepia-toned days of TV programming in India....
There used to be a time during my childhood days when my mom would ration the amount of TV we could watch in a day...those were the late 80s...colour television had arrived in India only a few years back in 1982....there was not much programming in terms of entertainment for the normal viewer..there used to be Regular Samachar in the evening....the joys of TV was not in the programming itself but in bringing the entire family together for the limited sops on offer....ours was a joint family...all the ladies would finish the tasks early in the evening so that the entire set of 20 people children included would be on time for watching their favorite serials....we children would have to complete our routine homework from tuition teacher and only then could watch the TV....on wednesdays there was Chitrahaar to die for.....some of my aunts who were in college usually would not wake up early on sundays...but then the pull of Rangoli was too much to be ignored....there was the Ramayana on Sunday mornings which would bring the entire nation to a standstill for the one hour when it was telecast....Ramayan made Arun Govil and Deepika virtually Gods in this spiritually inclined country... i still remember my daadi calling upon us kids to pay obeisance to Arun govil everytime he appeared on screen....or the virtual stampede that he caused when he came visiting in Bhubaneswar.....wow those days!! it was just 20 years back but seems such a long time ago....
There were few of the things from those times that will remain etched in our memories for long times to come...who can forget the signature tune of Doordarshan every half an hour....this one also finds a mention in the recently released hit movie ZNMD.....or the rendition of 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' by various artists in different languages.... i still love the music, the tone, the scenes on display in this song....WOW!!
Gradually Ramayana gave way to Mahabharata....DD1 had to share space in the metros with DD2 (metro)...some of our favorite serials appeared on Metro.....Zee TV also arrived and we had the hugely Popular' Hum Paanch ' series....... 'Dekh Bhai Dekh' which brought Shekhar Suman into limelight.....
More and more channels got introduced and different genres of TV programming came into the country....
Children had there cartoon series in Duck Tales, tom and jerry etc....
MTV and channel V became the voice of the youth interests ...24 hour news channels abounded in the 1st decade of 21st century....cable Tv and satellite channels came onto their own....the TV industry has truly exploded over the last 2 decades...the consumer has so many choices.....he is just glued to TV....and in the process has become a couch potato.....
i myself have to admit the same...the period during the exams were such that you would consider yourself lucky if you caught a glimpse of the TV....but once the exams were out of the way....entire days were spent in front of the TV...such was the addiction...this applies to adults equally.....
While i can remember the few but light programming from the earlier days...it's difficult to remember one from the latter days...choices have multiplied but our memories have become shorter..
Doordarshan is totally forgotten in cities....but the memories of those earlier days still lingers on...is that  a bigger addiction than TV itself? i wish so....with nostalgia...

Is having too many choices, a choice really?

Well, i have often wondered about choices...often in life we complain about the lack of choices....we want this, we want that...blah,blah,blah...always craving for more,something more GOD....but what we don't quite realise is that when we have too many choices, we usually end up making the wrong choice....When we have few choices, we have to decide from among those limited ones....when we have too many choices, we get confused about picking from them....one is spoilt for choices....Yet critics would say that at least in the latter case, one exercised one's right to choose....but then they forget that the purpose of choices is to make a better decision....which might not happen if one is given too many choices.....Take the case of marriage... Let's say we have two friends Suresh and Ramesh....Both are on the lookout of prospective brides for themselves....Suresh's parents arrange for a girl to meet him...he meets her and they decide to get married...Suresh might feel that he could find someone better had he met a few more girls but this one is OK...Ramesh, on the other hand, meets a girl but turns down her proposal feeling that he will find someone better..he continues to do so with a few other girls that he meets up...he always thinks that girl1 has this thing missing,girl2 has some other thing missing..and so on...at last when he has met and rejected  lot of girls, he becomes desperate and then would settle for any girl that comes his way in order to get married....while this girl may or may not be the correct choice, he always thinks that he has got a girl who is less deserving of him...
So the point that we are arriving at is after a certain point, too many choices fail to remain just a matter of making choice. Too many choices complicate things and may not result in making the most appropriate selection...

Anna....Anna Everywhere

The events over the last few days have been really extraordinary in the history of Democratic India. 74 year old  Anna has become the new Hero of the youth brigade....
a. Main Anna Hoon...
b. Anna tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain....
rent the air of towns and cities across the country.....It shows how a single man can galvanise the masses across the country and galvanise he did...but how?Well the issue of corruption struck a chord across the masses and instantly from a poor daily wage earner to a crorepati was drawn to the movement....but the govt has to blame itself as well for bringing things to such a passe..for successive govts delay has been the best friend to weaken movements....it has taken 42 years for our MPs and still they talk of building consensus on the Lokpal....but they shud know that the  consensus is already with them....all of them are united against taking any step which will jeopardise there own business...
But all credit goes to Anna for making the movement a nationwide one....he did not err in dealing with the cunning Netas who have shown what they are capable of during Ramdev Baba's campaign...i guess Anna's long experience in dealing with MH governments and GOI has held him in good stead.....
Well the first battle has been won...but the war is still to be fought...after all we are dealing with a govt that has shown the capability of derailing similar movements and put in every effort to do so this time around as well...after all no MP wants to be accountable to someone else..they have never been accountable since independence....now other important steps need to be taken to further this movement towards a true democracy...we need the right to reject during elections, the right to recall the elected representatives midway...Indian democracy on the move...yippee